Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Vancouver, WA
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I like the lifting eye on some of the bigger cruising yachts. Could it be possible to add a downhaul and topping lift to a car mounted on a vertical track attached to the eye similar to the cruiser configuration in your design?
It would facilitate a launch from either side and partially lifting the car to facilitate clearing the forestay while swinging the pole to make a gybe a bit easier assuming you just use the lazy sheet as the guy like I do. To make singlehanded gybing a bit sexier, a line to the tack end of the pole to unclip the lazy sheet sooner to prevent wrapping so the kite stays filled while you run up to move the pole to the new sheet half way through your gybe.
I read elsewhere about end for end gybing, but haven't tried it.
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